Going to the Market

The pursuit of market-oriented activities by colleges and universities in search of new revenue streams, increased enrollments, greater prestige, and amplified visibility for their “brand names” became common practice in the late 1990’s and the early 21^st century. Marketing and promotional campaigns to increase revenues are now commonplace. Recently, fourteen public universities contracted with the Collegiate Licensing Corporation and the Starter athletic apparel company to display their logos on a Nascar series racecar, guaranteeing each institution royalty income from sales of related Nascar promotional items, an up-front payment for participating, and the opportunity to have their logo paraded before up to 90,000 fans on race day (Frye, 2001). Some universities sell to the highest bidder the naming rights to their sports arenas—e.g., Comcast Center at the University of Maryland and Save Mart Center at California State University at Fresno—while others have even joined the cola wars by signing lucrative contracts which guarantee soft drink companies exclusive “pouring rights” on their campuses (Suggs, 2000, January 14; Van Der Werf, 1999, October 15).